Our Idiot Brother is Frustratingly, Winningly Cute (Review)

I despise how precious this movie is. I hate that it’s so mannered that it might as well come with a sweater, and I loathe its fake-quirky conventionality. But most of all, I hate the feeling that it’s as engineered to fit the established tastes of white intellectuals and critics as Yogi Bear was to fit children and morons.

So when, like a girl scout, Our Idiot Brother arrives at my door in its quasi-fascistic outfit, selling sugary treats of no nutritional value to raise money for some dubious cause, I’m eager to boot it down the steps or yank it off its little pink bike by the pigtails. I am a thinking adult. I am not fooled by your dimpled fake smiles or shiny merit badges. But… what’s that you say? Your treats are made of Paul Rudd and his unconditional love for a golden retriever? Paul Rudd and a golden retriever? But… but… that’s… cheating! Paul Rudd is already a human golden retriever! COME BACK! I’LL TAKE A THOUSAND BOXES! A MILLION! EVERY BOX YOU HAVE! I DEMAND TO KNOW WHERE THE FACTORY IS!

90 minutes later I am comatose. Broke, bloated and covered in shame tears, but content. You have beaten me, Our Idiot Brother. You have pandered to a demographic, and that demographic was me.

—

So yes, Our Idiot Brother, starring Paul Rudd as the titular brother lovably screwing up the lives of his three sisters played by Zooey Deschanel, Elizabeth Banks, and Emily Mortimer, looks like it could’ve been financed by the Sundance selection committee. Rudd’s “Uncle Ned” is a stoner who works on an organic farm with his dog, Willie Nelson, until one day (*record scratch*), he gets thrown in jail for selling weed to a cop (BECAUSE HE’S SUCH A NICE GUY!). When he gets out, his hippie girlfriend (the brilliant and underrated Kathryn Hahn) has already replaced him and taken full custody of their dog. That’s when Rudd starts bouncing from house to house, from slutty bisexual Zoe and her girlfriend Rashida Jones, to career woman Banks, to married and miserable Mortimer, with her prickish, documentarian husband (Steve Coogan) and her adorable young son, who, wouldn’t you know it, turns out to be wiser and more mature than the adults.

And yet… I can’t resist. This might be the most perfectly cast movie I’ve ever seen. Rashida Jones is PERFECT as the lesbian lawyer sister in law and I’m not just saying that because the idea of her and Zooey getting it on excites me sexually. There’s even Adam Scott and TJ Miller in smaller roles with just enough room to shine. There’s such a perfect clarity here of what each character is doing and what they’re trying to communicate in each scene, it’s refreshing. Finally, an actually-funny comedy that doesn’t feel like an improv workshop.

In one expression or intonation, Our Idiot Brother absolutely nails jokes (and I mean actual laugh jokes, not smiles or “oh that’s cutes” like Win-Win) that Bridesmaids would’ve spent ten minutes of flailing trying to get to (Bridesmaids had its moments, but it feels sloppy and unedited compared to this). The characters here are “types”, to some extent, but the actors are always honest, in the moment, and beautifully unhammy. There’s one scene in which Paul Rudd is hitting on a girl in an elevator, and as she turns him down, all he does by way of response is give a look and a shrug as the elevator door closes. And it F*CKING KILLS. His one little look cuts to the core of his character, it’s hilarious, and the visual composition of the elevator door sliding shut as he does it is perfect. Paul Rudd was always cute, but also? Kind of a genius.

I can hardly blame Our Idiot Brother for its unfortunate parallels to that phony, ham-fisted Tyler Perry movie for white people, The Kids Are All Right, because despite the promiscuous bisexuals and stoners with organic farms, I highly doubt director Jesse Peretz and writers Evgenia Peretz and David Schisgall had seen it before they started making this. Still, the fact that the trailer looked like a bad Little Miss Sundance rip-off can’t all be pinned on the marketing department. I was perhaps being harsh when I called it pandering, but there are things I wish about Our Idiot Brother. I wish Paul Rudd didn’t run down the street yelling “Willie Nelson!” at his dog. I wish there wasn’t the predictable checklist of upper-middle class caucasian unconventionality — hippieism, drugs, organic food, cults, ambiguous sexuality, and infidelity. I wish there wasn’t an earnest, wise, likable child (though the fact that he wanted to take martial arts against the wishes of his non-violent parents was a nice reversal of the usual Billy Elliot cliché — leading to a great Paul Rudd line, “He’s a boy. Boys fight. It doesn’t mean he’s gonna become some frat boy rapist.”). I wish there wasn’t an over-explained ending that rivals Joseph Gordon-Levitt meeting a girl named “Autumn” at the end of 500 Days of Summer for cutesyness.

But damn if I didn’t enjoy nearly every minute of it. Paul Rudd likable, who’d have thought.

Join The Discussion: Log In With

He meets a girl named Autumn? So JGL and Summer don’t stay together? HOW ABOUT A SPOILER ALERT NEXT TIME JEEZ!
/pouts in corner

By: Borderline Good

08.25.2011 @ 6:10 PM

@Jenius: Dude, he says, “this is not a love story” at the beginning of that movie. Suck those tears in.

By: mrejr8234

08.25.2011 @ 6:11 PM

I feel like you probably missed how shitty and formulaic the movie is because you want to fuck Paul Rudd.

By: Gary Convex

08.25.2011 @ 6:12 PM

Seriously? Autumn? That’s how that movie ends? Is the last shot him looking into the camera a winking? I fucking hate that movie and I haven’t even seen it.

(Does he meet somebody’s idiot sister at the end of this one? Please tell me no.)

By: bane of trebeks existence

08.25.2011 @ 6:17 PM

But what if somebody doesn’t like Paul Rudd?

By: Jamaal Charles's Stolen TDs

08.25.2011 @ 6:21 PM

@bane of trebeks existence

Well then we crucify that someone for being a Nazi spy.

By: Patty Boots

08.25.2011 @ 6:22 PM

500 Days of Summer was so whiny and self-righteous, it made me want to call my ex and break up with him a second time, just so somebody would share my pain.

By: Patty Boots

08.25.2011 @ 6:25 PM

This, though. I assume that I will spend the entire movie going, “Aaawwwww!”

But I don’t see why you had to bad mouth sweaters. You leave sweaters alone!

By: Crapbasket

08.25.2011 @ 6:27 PM

HELLO FUCK UPROXX!

By: Crapbasket

08.25.2011 @ 6:29 PM

Oh sure, I try to respond to aneof three times and get booted every time but tell UPRoXX to go…
…you know what, I’m taking my balls and going home.

By: Vince Mancini

08.25.2011 @ 6:34 PM

@ mrejr8234

I feel like you “missed” the first paragraph of this review.

By: I_am_Jenius

08.25.2011 @ 6:36 PM

The Second Coming will be Paul Rudd and Baby Goose’s lovechild.

By: I_am_Jenius

08.25.2011 @ 6:38 PM

@Boderline
I’m not crying! I..I bit my tongue.

By: mrejr8234

08.25.2011 @ 6:42 PM

What I didn’t miss was the over enjoyment of a shrug after Rudd was rejected by a girl. “NAILED IT! OH, HE DOESN’T CARE! WHOOOO! TOTES AWESOME!” and the B+ at the end for a probable C- movie.

By: Vince Mancini

08.25.2011 @ 6:45 PM

Do you mean probable as in you saw it and you think but can’t quite decide that it’s a C- movie, or probable as in you’re assuming based on the trailer? Because based on the trailer, I would’ve agreed with you. As for my love of Paul Rudd perhaps blinding me to other things, I don’t know how I could’ve possibly been any more open about that fact.

By: Bubb Rubb

08.25.2011 @ 6:45 PM

**Paul Rudd reads last post about Wahlburgers, wrinkles his nose in an adorable manner, then calls his business partner and tells him to copyright the name Ruddfuckers.

By: mrejr8234

08.25.2011 @ 6:54 PM

I mean probable because,from this review, it’s unoriginal.

By: Bubb Rubb

08.25.2011 @ 6:57 PM

Wow, bro. This is not gonna end well for you…….

By: mrejr8234

08.25.2011 @ 7:00 PM

Darn,…bro

By: Vince Mancini

08.25.2011 @ 7:01 PM

So you’re questioning the review, based on information you gleaned FROM the review, because you came away with an exaggerated interpretation of what I already wrote. Well I suppose if I were a better writer, maybe I could better articulate just what was so good about the look and the shrug, but it’s kind of like the old picture telling a thousand words saying. My point was that it was good for a million subtle reasons that are hard to explain in words. I was doing my best and asking you to take my word for it. Which, admittedly, is not the greatest writing strategy.

By: Bubb Rubb

08.25.2011 @ 7:04 PM

See, bro?

By: mrejr8234

08.25.2011 @ 7:10 PM

Bro….He lost me after exaggerated..bro

By: Bubb Rubb

08.25.2011 @ 7:58 PM

Man, you used my sardonic use of bro against me. THAT stings.

By: mrejr8234

08.25.2011 @ 8:55 PM

Am I guilty of judging a book/movie by it’s cover/trailer/review? Yes. However,I have seen enough movies in my life time to know that this movie sucks. I’m sure it has some lesson about ‘Do what makes you happy, bro. Because life is too short to be miserable *bong rip, stoner laugh Mahahahahha* and the wise beyond their years kid thing is just fucking lame. All these stupid adults are too busy to be as smart as that little brat. And also I cant stand Zooey Dowhateverhername is. We get it! You’re just so quirky and open-minded. And the next time Rashida Jones shows any personality will be the first time since she was on Chappelle’s show.

By: DEVO

08.25.2011 @ 9:00 PM

Tell Bob Ross to give Paul Rudd his dog back!

By: Farthammer

08.25.2011 @ 9:05 PM

I feel like you write for a film blog, Vince.

By: Eibmoz

08.25.2011 @ 9:19 PM

@bane People who dont like Paul Rudd dont like kittens or rainbows or unicorns or LIFE! They can just DIE!

By: Bubb Rubb

08.25.2011 @ 9:49 PM

I feel like mrejr8234 is to critical writing what Jay Cutler is to masculine NFC championship game heroics.

By: mrejr8234

08.25.2011 @ 9:56 PM

A SPRAIN IS A TEAR BUBB RUBBRO!

By: cherryghost

08.25.2011 @ 10:06 PM

Paul Rudd is…A STAPLER!

By: juhuaas

08.25.2011 @ 11:53 PM

===== { w w w }{better—–wholesaler }{ us } =======
welcome to this website—-free ship ping accept pay pal—-
we provide all kinds of high quality shoes and the other things
if you are interested in it don’t hesitate to search our website
hoping you can have a good shop ping experience
———- {w w w }{{b2bjordans }{ com } —————–
Dedicated service,the new style,believing you love it
fast shipping^ ^ high quality ^ ^ don’t miss this chance ^^
^^^^we sincerely hope your coming^^^as soon as possible

By: pigpeen

08.26.2011 @ 12:24 AM

geez Paul, external frame packs are for losers.

Oh who am I kidding… I can’t quit you!

By: buttmanfartcar

08.26.2011 @ 12:30 AM

Wow juhuaas, way off topic, but nevertheless an interesting point.
“welcome to this website” thanks.
“free ship ping accept pay pal” well this is outstanding! What can I get?
“we provide all kinds of high quality shoes and-” wait wait wait, I’m going to have to stop you right there. Do you offer other things?
“…and other things” perfect!
“if you are interested in it don’t hesitate to search our website” I would love to search your website! I can’t wait!
“hoping you can have a good shop ping experience” I can only expect the best from you juhuaas! Now, what’s that fucking stupid url?
“———- {w w w }{{b2bjordans }{ com } —————–” Great, that’s just great. I can’t wait to cruise over to your shitty website run off of sweaty ten year old servers in Vietnam. (just a guess)
“Dedicated service,the new style,believing you love it-” Ok what the fuck. WHO IS FALLING FOR THIS????? HOW DO YOU MAKE MONEY?????????
*blows brains out* *farts*

By: De Selby

08.26.2011 @ 1:31 AM

mrejr8234 subtext–the Short Version: I am desperately trying to lend credibility to my statements. I can’t just say “I don’t really have any interest in seeing this movie” like a normal person. I have to say that “I have no interest in seeing this movie BECAUSE I KNOW IT SUCKS AND I ALWAYS ALREADY DISAGREE WITH DISSENTING OPINION ON THIS TOPIC.”

Long Version:

Am I guilty of judging a book/movie by it’s cover/trailer/review but copping to the charge to lend my preconceived notion of this thing I haven’t seen credibility? Yes. However,I have seen enough movies in my life time to know that you should take my opinion that this thing i’ve never sucks because I am well versed in seeing similar things to this thing I have already admitted to not having seen. I’m sure it has some lesson about ‘Do what makes you happy, bro, which I glean from my years of having seen things which I feel are similar to this thing I haven’t seen. Because life is too short to be miserable *predictable easy jab at thing I’ve not seen to discredit it in case I’m wrong somehow which I’m not because I know already that this movie sucks* and the wise beyond their years kid thing is just fucking lame because I’ve seen it in other things that appear similar to this thing. All these stupid adults are too busy to be as smart as that little brat, which I hate for some reason. And also I cant stand Zooey Dowhateverhername (I could easily scroll up to the review to spell her name but I won’t because I want you, the reader, to know that she means nothing to me) is. We get it! You’re just so quirky and open-minded, and I hate open minded people (really?). And the next time Rashida Jones shows any personality will be the first time since she was on Chappelle’s show, which is a reference half of you or more will probably have to look up. I have said this to again boost my credibility.

By: De Selby

08.26.2011 @ 1:43 AM

And I (unbelievably) forgot something else implicit in that crazy bro’s statements: the impossibility of well-worn concepts working due to stellar performances from a “perfect cast” (to take Vince’s word for it because he, you know, actually saw the movie). This sort of thing never happens in film though, right?

By: Bubb Rubb

08.26.2011 @ 1:49 AM

Boom! What he said! But i am sorry that Jay Cutler tore his vulva in the NFC championship game.

By: DaddyPrimetime09

08.26.2011 @ 1:57 AM

the idea of paul rudd and a golden retriever makes me squirt til i pass out

By: Galaxy Quest

08.26.2011 @ 1:58 AM

I totally dismissed Star Wars after I found out it was about that recycled GOOD AND EVIL BS!

*puts on lipstick and looks over at memento dvd

By: r.pgh

08.26.2011 @ 11:11 AM

a sprain is not a tear….still hurts and hinders your ability to walk / run / throw, but still, not a tear

If it is, I’ll have to question my ortho doctor and the MRI I just had.

Also, Paul Rudd cures kitten cancer and the Bears haven’t been good since the 80’s.